Quincy Center for Technical Education
Computer Technology Department

Mode

Configures system devices. The mode command performs many different tasks, such as displaying system status, changing system settings, or reconfiguring ports or devices.

Using the mode command

Because the mode command can perform many different tasks, the syntax necessary to carry out each task is different. Therefore, this reference discusses the tasks separately. The following is a list of tasks for which you can use the mode command.

  • Reconfigure a printer attached to a parallel port (PRN, LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3) for printing at 80 or 132 characters per line, 6 or 8 lines per inch, or both (if the printer supports these features).
  • Configure the baud rate, parity, and number of data bits and stop bits of a serial communications port (COM1, COM2, COM3, and COM4) for use with a specific printer, modem, or other serial device.
  • Display the status of all devices or of a single device.
  • Redirect printer output from a parallel port to a serial port so that the serial port becomes the system's default printer port.
  • Change the size of the command prompt window.
  • Set the keyboard's typematic rate.
  • Select, refresh, or display the numbers of the code pages in the console.